Science - Inside Climate News

Lithium Critical to the Energy Transition Is Coming at the Expense of Water

By Wyatt Myskow — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 18:45:00 +0000

A new study finds that the mining and processing of the metal critical to EV batteries and renewable energy storage projects depletes and contaminates surface water, often in already vulnerable communities.

By Wyatt Myskow

Lithium needed for batteries that power electric vehicles and store electricity from renewable energy projects is likely to deplete—and in some cases, contaminate—local water supplies, according to a new paper published this week.

Montana Is a Frontier for Deep Carbon Storage, and the Controversies Surrounding the Potential Climate Solution

By Najifa Farhat — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 09:00:00 +0000

The Big Sky State hopes to get federal incentives to store captured carbon under public lands, but for many residents near the project, the threat is greater than the opportunity.

By Najifa Farhat

A new project aims to take carbon dioxide pollution, likely from two natural gas processing plants in Wyoming, and store it thousands of feet underground beneath the wide-open prairies of southeastern Montana.

How Good are Re-Planted Mangroves at Storing Carbon? A New Study Puts a Number on It

By Alexa Robles-Gil — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Forty years of data reveals that planted mangroves can reach about 70 percent of the carbon stocks in naturally occurring mangroves.

By Alexa Robles-Gil

Dark green mangrove forests grow along shores from Indonesia to South Florida, with roots tangling out of the water. Scientists have continuously marveled at their myriad abilities: to survive in saltwater, to bear the brunt of severe storms, to support reefs and fish and to absorb a tremendous amount of climate-warming carbon—three to five times more per acre than mature tropical forests.

Hurricane Beryl Was a Warning Shot for Houston

By Dylan Baddour — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 09:05:00 +0000

The category one storm dealt the city disastrous damage. Houston’s first direct hit from a hurricane in decades showed how vulnerable the nation’s energy capital remains.

By Dylan Baddour

When Hurricane Beryl entered the Gulf of Mexico, the city of Houston had little reason to believe it was about to take its first direct hit from a tropical cyclone in decades.

In the South, Sea Level Rise Accelerates at Some of the Most Extreme Rates on Earth

By Amy Green — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 09:05:00 +0000

The surge is startling scientists, amplifying impacts such as hurricane storm surges and nuisance flooding and testing mitigation measures like the Resilient Florida program.

By Amy Green

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—For most of his life, Steve Salem has led an existence closely linked with the rise and fall of the tides.

Average Global Temperature Has Warmed 1.5 Degrees Celsius Above Pre-industrial Levels for 12 Months in a Row

By Bob Berwyn — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 11:37:48 +0000

New data shows the planet’s fever stayed above a crucial target for a full year, but it would need to do that for decades to breach the Paris Agreement limit.

By Bob Berwyn

Last month wasn’t only the hottest June by far in the observed temperature record, but marked the first-ever 12-month stretch of the Earth’s average temperature exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius of temperature rise above the pre-industrial baseline against which human-caused warming is measured.

As Hurricane Beryl Surged Toward Texas, Scientists Found Human-Driven Warming Intensified Its Wind and Rain

By Bob Berwyn — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 08:50:00 +0000

All recent research on global warming and tropical storms show the growing threat for developing island states and other vulnerable coastal areas.

By Bob Berwyn

Climate heating caused by fossil fuel pollution supercharged Hurricane Beryl during its unusually early July push from the heart of the tropical Atlantic Ocean to the coast of Texas, scientists said Friday.

Attacked on All Sides: Wading Birds Nest in New York’s Harbor Islands

By Lauren Dalban — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 10:52:41 +0000

The migratory birds face habitat loss due to development, predation, human disturbance and climate change.

By Lauren Dalban

For bird enthusiasts and average residents alike, the sight of wild, colorful migratory birds like the great egret or the black-crowned night heron, in a dense and loud city like New York is something to behold.

The Minnesota Dam That Partially Failed Is One of Nearly 200 Across the Upper Midwest in Similarly ‘Poor’ Condition

By Kristoffer Tigue — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 14:30:00 +0000

Especially in the Midwest, climate change presents a growing threat to the nation’s nearly 92,000 dams, many more than 100 years old, as heavy rainfall, flooding and other forms of extreme weather become more common and severe.

By Kristoffer Tigue

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Minnesota’s century-old Rapidan Dam captured the national spotlight last week when its partial failure destroyed a home and prompted county officials to demolish an adjacent store. Yet it’s just one of hundreds of dams across the Upper Midwest in similar or worse condition, according to an analysis of federal data by Inside Climate News.

In North Carolina, Eastern Hellbenders Are a Species of Concern, Threatened by the Vagaries of Climate Change

Story and photos by Lisa Sorg — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 09:05:00 +0000

Snorkeling scientists search for the elusive giant salamanders so they might live another day elsewhere on the Watauga River before an old dam is removed.

Story and photos by Lisa Sorg

WATAUGA COUNTY, N.C.—Ben Dalton broke the glassy surface of the Watauga River, spit out his mouthpiece and gasped for breath. All morning, Dalton, a state wildlife biologist, and two other snorkelers had been scouring the river bed, trying to rescue as many eastern hellbenders as they could.